Heteractus Malu

[Shawn D]

Am having trouble finding info on these anemones, please help. Do they look to have a foothold on rock, sand, or both? What is best to feed them? (rbta gets mysis and silversides)

Also show em off if you got em!!! :thumbsup:

[kimsie]

Hey Shawn - I thought I'd send a 'bump' your way - maybe you can get some more info.

From my experience on here there aren't a lot of Malu owners!

But if there are any lurkers out there I would love to hear your advice too!!

:)

[Shawn D]

Thanks Kim, in your avatar it looks like your nem likes to put his foot inbetween the rock and sand? What do you feed yours?

[marc price]

this should help some;

http://www.nhm.ku.edu/inverts/ebooks/ch1.html#malu

"Diagnostic field characters Tentacles sparse, stubby (rarely to 40 mm long), of variable length even within one radial row, commonly magenta-tipped. Oral disc lies at surface of sediment in which delicate column is burrowed. Column commonly pale cream or yellow colour, may have splotches of deep yellow or orange."

"Details Tentacles arise from brown or purplish (rarely bright green) oral disc as much as 200 mm in diameter that may have white radial markings; evenly tapered to point or slightly inflated in middle; lower part same colour as oral disc, but upper portion may have several white rings or green end. Column very thin in expansion; upper part violet-brown (due to zooxanthellae) with longitudinal rows of adhesive verrucae. Anemones can retract completely into sediment; most common in shallow, quiet waters."

[Big E]

They need the sand.......& will take a foot hold at the tank bottom or a nearby rock.

I currently have mine in a plastic tub & it has it foot attached to the bottom of the tub. I feed it mysis, clam, scallops, shrimp. It's eaten pellets that happend to float into its grasp. It will eat anything. I've had it for 16 months.

[Shawn D]

Received my H. Malu at around 9 this morning heres some pics :
right when he go put in the tank
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/shawnwildhockey91/IMG_2223.jpg
all settled in
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/shawnwildhockey91/IMG_2224.jpg
and finally lights on about 7 hrs later
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/shawnwildhockey91/IMG_2229.jpg
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/shawnwildhockey91/IMG_2230.jpg

[kimsie]

It looks really good Shawn!

Just because I'm curious - what did the foot and underside look like?

[Shawn D]

Thanks I am going to borrow my uncles really nice DSLR camera and take some more pics this weekend. It looked a lot like yours, but did yours have spots around the edge?

[kimsie]

It did - white spots - was your foot all white? Or colored at all?

[Shawn D]

it was a pinkish white foot

[kimsie]

Pinkish white? You know - You have a really beautiful Anemone.

It almost looks like an LTA (Macrodactyla Doreensis)- but it has purple tips like the Heteractis species do. Also - interestingly LTA's have a red foot...

It really is beautiful. I can't wait to see more pictures of it. GREAT SCORE!

[Shawn D]

Ya I am really happy about it, but its not as beautiful as yours

[kimsie]

Nah - yours is just as great!

Did it attach for you right away?

[Shawn D]

ya it did, which really surprised me as it had fully dropped its foot within 10 min

[kimsie]

Very nice!

[elegance coral]

That is a beautiful anemone. Is it the one they had on the Divers Den?

Just FYI. Not all LTA's have a red foot. I have two that have brown feet.

[kimsie]

Good to know! I thought they were usually redish orangish. But that's just because that's what I'd seen! Thanks for the info! :)

[Shawn D]

thanks elegance, yup it was on DD on tuesday

[Big E]

I'm no expert, but that doesn't look like an H. Malu to me. It looks nice and healthy though................good luck.

From marc price's post above.......

" longitudinal rows of adhesive verrucae"

This is a distintive characteristic........you should be able to see this on the underside of the anenome.

[kimsie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12741546#post12741546 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Shawn D
Thanks I am going to borrow my uncles really nice DSLR camera and take some more pics this weekend. It looked a lot like yours, but did yours have spots around the edge?

Ed - I guess from this post I assumed that his DID have spots around the edge... I guess you could read it either way.

So Shawn - does it have spots on the underside? White sticky dots or verracue?

[wicked_NaCl_h2o]

This is a picture of my H. Crispa when it went for a walk. I think they pretty much look the same under the disc.

http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/8743/picture203019zoomsy5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[klavestat]

Regarding H. malu, consider the following advice from Phil Henderson...


"Difficult to keep anemones

Heteractis crispa or H. malu, Sebae anemone, Singapore anemone, pink-tipped (but not condylactis) anemone
Tentacles range from long and thin to short and fat depending on the condition of the anemone (short and fat usually means it is starting to waste away). Tentacles usually have magenta colored tips although yellowish-green tips are not uncommon. Colors can be dyed yellow, dyed pink, natural pink/purple, natural yellow, tan, but by far the most common is pure white. The oral disk may also have a green sheen under actinic light.

Good Points-They are very common in stores and are usually the least expensive of the host anemones. They are accepted by virtually all clownfish whether they occur together in nature or not. Some not so white specimens can regenerate their symbiotic algae thus becoming a brown color. If you can obtain a tan specimen with long thin tentacles they should do well under conditions similar to that required for bulb anemones.

Bad Points- No one I have spoken with, not even the public aquariums, can keep the white or yellow ones alive for more than 6-8 months. Out of the over 20 responses I received regarding sebaes only 2 anemones had stayed alive for over one year. Both of the anemones were tan in color either when purchased or had turned tan shortly there after. One thought is that sebae anemones may expel their symbiotic algae shortly after capture and when it is completely gone it is not easily replaced. Frank Greco of the New York Aquarium says that he has been successful in getting otherwise healthy sebaes to "color up" by feeding once a week with fresh fish, clam, shrimp or gelatin. They also get live brine shrimp, adult and baby, and a yeast based diet of his own design. In addition to the frequent feedings the anemones are exposed to very bright light, three 400 watt metal halide bulbs over the six foot by six foot, four foot tall anemone tank. If the anemone is not able to replace its zooxanthellae it is doomed to a very slow starvation once in the tank. There are cream colored sebae anemones found in shallow water in the wild, but they are not the transparent white color found in the dealers tanks. These don't seem to be a good beginner's anemone despite articles I have read that say they are. "

[Shawn D]

It did have spots on the underside, but I am not sure if they were sticky or not

[marc price]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12746262#post12746262 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by klavestat
Regarding H. malu, consider the following advice from Phil Henderson...


CHOOSING YOUR NEXT ANEMONE By Phil Henderson
FRESHWATER AND MARINE AQUARIUM VOLUME 18 NUMBER 12 DECEMBER 1995

most authors at that time said not to keep any of the clownfish hosting anemones.

[kimsie]

Shawn - how are things going - do you have anymore pics?

[Shawn D]

didnt get any this weekend. Everythings still going good I think its nearly fully acclimated and I am going to try a little bit of food tomorrow